"shall henceforth give us contentment. And the same ❝contentment of ours shall make us faithfully observe the peace with you. But if thou thinkest all too little, I must "desire thee to ponder well how great an hazard thou "must undergo for the obtaining of a very little more than "that which thou mayest have without contention. It is "now in thine own power to lay hold upon good fortune, "if it please thee; stay but till to-morrow night, and thou "must take such fortune as it shall please the gods. The "issue of battle is uncertain, and many times beguileth ex"pectation. Men and steel we shall each of us bring into "the field; but of the victory neither of us hath assurance. "Let us therefore without more ado make peace. And do "not tell me, that some false-hearted citizens of ours dealt "fraudulently of late in the like treaty; it is I, Hannibal, "that now desire peace with thee, which I would never do, "if I thought it not expedient for my country. And think"ing it expedient, I will always maintain it, like as I "have maintained unto my power, as long as the gods did "not envy me, the war by me begun." Hereunto Scipio made answer, that it was no ambitious desire of ruling in Sicily and in Spain which had moved the Romans to enter into this or the former war; but that the defence of the Mamertines, and afterwards of the Saguntines, their confederates, had caused them to put on those arms, which the gods by the final issue of the wars had approved, and would approve to be most just. As for the mutability of fortune, he said, that he was not thereof ignorant; and that without any note of insolence or overweening he might well refuse the conditions offered. For was it not plain, that all these countries, with which the Carthaginians now so willingly departed, were already won from them by the Romans?" If," said he, "these conditions had been propounded whilst as yet ye "detained some part of Italy, they might peradventure not "have been rejected. But as the case now stands, I see no reason why I should remit unto you any one piece of "those my former demands, to which the Carthaginians "have yielded already, and thought me to deal graciously

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"in being so moderate. Rather, I say, that the injuries, "which they have done me since, have made them un"worthy of obtaining peace upon so friendly terms. But I "cannot blame thee, Hannibal, though thou wouldest be glad to make thy citizens understand from how much of "their burden they, are by thy means eased. Only thou "must think, that in like sort it concerns me in honour, not "to let them be gainers or savers by the wrongs which they "have done of late. Thou knowest well, that, besides those "offers which thou here hast made, they were well con"tented to restore unto us ransom-free all prisoners that "they have of ours; to pay us five thousand talents, to "deliver up their galleys, and to deliver hostages for assur"ance of fair dealing. And must they now be discharged "of all this, by their breach of truce, their spoiling of our "fleet, and their violating our ambassadors? Not so. But "if they can be contented, besides all this, to make such "amends as I shall require for these injuries newly done, "then will I take advice with my council what answer to give you; otherwise you may even prepare for war, and "blame your own selves for that I have denied you peace."

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Hereupon they brake off, and returned each to his own camp, with no other news than war, bidding their soldiers prepare for a battle, wherein should be decided the quarrel between Rome and Carthage. The next morning at break of day they issued into the field; a notable match, and such as hath very seldom been found, whether we regard the generals, their armies, the two cities that contended, or the great importance of the battle at hand. Scipio ordered his men after the Roman manner; placing first the Hastati, divided into their maniples, or small battalions, with a reasonable distance between them; not far behind these followed the Principes, likewise divided; and so after them the Triarii. But herein Scipio altered a little the ordinary custom of the Romans; he placed not the maniples of his Principes opposite unto the void spaces between the Hastati, that so the Hastati, as was usual, might fall back between the Principes; but he placed them directly one behind an

other, as it were in file. This he did, because of the elephants, whereof Hannibal had many. For of those beasts the danger was less whilst there was open way to let them through. Therefore he took such order, that when they had passed through the spaces between the first battalions, they should not come upon the Principes in front. Unto his velites, or those of the light armature, that were to begin the fight, he gave direction, that when they found themselves overcharged either by the enemies or (which was most to be feared) by the elephants, they should run back through those lanes that were between the maniples; and that those which were swiftest, or otherwise best able, should continue on their flight until they were got behind all their own army, thereby leaving room enough unto those that were wounded, or cast behind, to save themselves on the void ground that was betwixt the first and second, or the second and third battles, without cloying up the way between the maniples, which he desired to keep open. His Italian horse he placed in the left wing under C. Lælius. In the right wing was Masinissa with his Numidians. He himself, riding up and down, exhorted his men to do valiantly; using words not many, but very forcible. He bade them remember what they had achieved since their coming into Afric. He told them, that, if this day were theirs, the war was at an end; and that their victory in this war should make them lords of all the world; for that afterwards none would be found able to resist them. On the contrary, if they were beaten, he asked them whither they would fly. They were far from home, yea and far from their own standing camp; neither was there any place in Afric that would give them shelter; if they fell into the Carthaginians' hands, they knew what to expect: and therefore there was none other way, but death or victory, unless they would live like wretched slaves under most merciless enemies. In such necessity, he said that they which consider themselves to be, and take resolution answerable thereunto, have never been known to fail of getting victory.

Hannibal, on the other side, placed his elephants, that were more than fourscore, in front of his battle. Next behind these he made his vanguard, all of mercenaries, Ligurians, Gauls, Baleares, and Moors. Then followed his battle; which was of Carthaginians and Africans, more interested in the quarrel than were those mercenaries, though not so good soldiers; but to help (if it might be) their want of courage, they had with them four thousand Macedonians, lately sent from king Philip. More than the space of a furlong behind these came his rearward, consisting of those brave soldiers which had served him in his Italian wars, and were the only men in whom he reposed any confidence. Opposite to Lælius, in his own right wing, he bestowed the Carthaginian horse. Tychæus and the Numidians he placed in his left wing against Masinissa. He was indeed far too weak for the enemy in horse, both in number and in goodness. For Tychæus and Mezetullus had no more than three thousand; and those not so well exercised as were the four thousand of Masinissa. The Carthaginians also were no more, nor none other, than such as could be levied in the haste of a few days; and the remainder of those that had of late been often vanquished, and accustomed to fly. But it was no time for Hannibal, neither had he perhaps authority, to make these his companions alight and serve on foot, setting better men in their saddles. All that he could have done, was to stay a little longer, and expect more help. Had Vermina the son of Syphax come thither, as he did in few days after, with sixteen thousand and upwards, the most of them horse, the advantage of number might have served well to supply all other defect. Yet since the lords of Carthage would brook no delay, Hannibal must be fain to comfort himself with the hope that he reposed in his old Italian soldiers, whose virtue had wrought greater wonders when it was more strongly opposed. He encouraged therefore his men with words agreeable to their several conditions, promising unto the mercenaries bountiful rewards; threatening the Carthaginians with inevitable servitude, if they lost that day; but espe

cially animating his old fellow-soldiers by the many victories which they had obtained against far greater numbers. He bade them to look upon the enemies, and make an estimate, whether they were any thing like so many as that huge army which they had slaughtered at Cannæ. He willed them to remember, that it was one P. Scipio, even the father of this man, whom they had first of all compelled to run away. He told them, that these legions, which they yonder beheld, were, for the most part of them, the very worst of the Roman soldiers; even such, as for their dastardly flight out of sundry battles, could no longer be trusted to bear arms in their own country. As for the rest, they were young men, the sons of cowards, and bred up in the continual fear of those weapons by which their fathers were daily slain or chased. Wherefore he entreated these his old companions, upon whose virtue he meant wholly to repose himself, that they would this day strive to make good their honour, and to purchase the fame of men invincible.

Such exhortations used the two generals before the fight. When they drew near together, the Numidian horsemen on both sides began to skirmish: the trumpets and other instruments of war sounded to battle; and Hannibal commanded his elephants to break upon the Romans. Of these elephants, (as they were always an uncertain kind of help,) those that stood near unto the point of the left wing turned back for fear, and ran upon their own Numidian horse, which they affrighted and disordered. Masinissa, espying this, gave charge upon the same Numidians; and, not suffering them to rally themselves, drave them quite out of the field. The rest of those beasts made a great spoil of the Roman velites, whom they followed into the spaces between the maniples; but without any harm to the battalions themselves; which gave them open way, accordingly as Scipio had well provided. Divers of them receiving many wounds, and growing therewith furious, could no longer be governed; but ran back upon the right point of their own battle, and beyond that into the open field. Herewithal